A vehicle surrounding area monitoring device comprises a processor including a top perspective view image producing section taking images of a surrounding area of a vehicle and synthesizing the images into a top perspective view image and displaying the top perspective view image on a display. The processor further includes a vehicle running direction information receiving section receiving information on a direction in which the vehicle is running from a control device to control the vehicle to run frontward or rearward. The top perspective view image producing section produces a frontward top perspective view image of the vehicle and the surrounding area seen from a viewing point upward and rearward of the vehicle when the vehicle is running frontward and a rearward top perspective view image of the vehicle and the surrounding area seen from another viewing point upward and frontward of the vehicle when the vehicle is running rearward.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A vehicle surrounding area monitoring device comprising a processor that comprises; a top perspective view image producing section synthesizing images of a surrounding area of a vehicle taken by plural imaging devices into a top perspective view image of the vehicle and the surrounding area of the vehicle that are seen from a viewing point obliquely upward of the vehicle and displaying the top perspective view image on a display device; and a running direction information receiving section receiving information on a running direction of the vehicle from a control device to control the vehicle to run either frontward or rearward, wherein the top perspective view image producing section produces a frontward top perspective view image of the vehicle and the surrounding area of the vehicle that are seen from a first viewing point upward and rearward of the vehicle when the vehicle is running frontward, and produces a rearward top perspective view image of the vehicle and the surrounding area of the vehicle that are seen from a second viewing point upward and frontward of the vehicle when the vehicle is running rearward.
2. The vehicle surrounding area monitoring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processor further comprises an indicative object information receiving section receiving information on an indicative object present in the surrounding area of the vehicle, and wherein if the indicative object information receiving section receives the information on the indicative object approaching the vehicle, the top perspective view image producing section superimposes an direction image for the indicative object on the frontward top perspective view image when the vehicle is running frontward and does not superimpose the direction image for the indicative object on the rearward top perspective view image when the vehicle is running rearward.
3. The vehicle surrounding area monitoring device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the processor further comprises a top plan view producing section synthesizing the images of the surrounding area of the vehicle into a top plan view of the vehicle and the surrounding of the vehicle that are seen from a third viewing point upward of the vehicle, and wherein the top plan view producing section superimposes the direction image for the indicative object when the vehicle is running frontward as well as when the vehicle is running rearward.
4. The vehicle surrounding area monitoring device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the vehicle is seen present at a center portion in the top plan view image and the vehicle in the top plan view image is kept in a predetermined orientation, whether the vehicle is running frontward or rearward.
5. The vehicle surrounding area monitoring device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the top plan view image displayed on the display device is smaller than the top perspective view image displayed on the display device.
6. A vehicle provided with the vehicle surrounding area monitoring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the display device is disposed opposite a driver seated at a driver seat.
7. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program for having a computer function as the vehicle surrounding area monitoring device as claimed in claim 1 .
8. A vehicle surrounding area monitoring method performed by a vehicle surrounding area monitoring device comprising; a top perspective view producing step of taking images of a surrounding area of a vehicle with plural imaging devices, synthesizing the images into a top perspective view image of the vehicle and the surrounding area of the vehicle that are seen from a viewing point obliquely upward of the vehicle and displaying the top perspective view image on a display device; and a vehicle running direction information receiving step of receiving vehicle running direction information from a control device to control the vehicle to run frontward or rearward; wherein in the top perspective view producing step, a frontward top perspective view image of the vehicle and the surrounding area of the vehicle that are seen from a first viewing point upward and rearward of the vehicle is produced when the vehicle is running frontward and a rearward top perspective view image of the vehicle and the surrounding area of the vehicle that are seen from a second viewing point upward and frontward of the vehicle is produced when the vehicle is running rearward.
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December 11, 2020
January 4, 2022
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